AAPL, Samsung Lead Recommendations, Purchases at T, VZ, Says Baird

By Tiernan Ray

R.W. Baird‘s William Power today offered to clients his usual weekly “checks” of retail smartphone outlets in the U.S., where he found that Apple‘s (AAPL) iPhone 5 continues to top the charts at AT&T (T), Verizon Communications (VZ), and Sprint-Nextel (S), but also shared the stage with Samsung Electronics‘s (005930KS)Galaxy S III.

Samsung had another successful entry at Sprint and AT&T, namely its “Galaxy Note II,” a combination of phone and tablet.

At AT&T, the iPhone 5 “is often cited as the most popular among recent purchasers,” writes Power, while Nokia‘s (NOK) “Lumia 920” running Microsoft‘s (MSFT) Windows Phone software was in fourth place in terms of customer popularity, behind the S III and Note II.

At Verizon, the iPhone 5 was about tied with the S III, and trailing them, Google‘s (GOOG) Motorola‘s “Droid Razr Maxx” “was also recieving strong support from the reps we spoke with,” true to the Verizon tendency to emphasize Android more heavily than do the AT&T reps, he writes. At Sprint, the Note II “also received modest praise, though reps were quick to point out that a 5.5” device is not for everyone.” The Note II and S III dominated at T-Mobile U.S.A.

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There are 7 comments

DECEMBER 11, 2012 12:04 A.M.

tom wrote:

of course they're going to push you towards an android phone. They're cheaper to subsidize. No surprise here.

DECEMBER 11, 2012 1:31 A.M.

Mike wrote:

Of course, a lot of people buy iphones directly from Apple...either online or at an Apple Store..so these people are not even counted in this survey.

DECEMBER 11, 2012 6:34 A.M.

David wrote:

Exactly, Tom. Verizon has a a lot of grip and control over Samsung and Motorola by forcing them to make OS changes, controlling Android upgrades, adding apps, having their logo on every phone...etc, whereas with Apple, Verizon has no power what so ever. This clearly separates the trendsetters (Apple) from the ephemeral brands.

I think Samsung is doing tremendously, regardless of whether they copied the iPhone or not, but the Galaxy is a very unstable brand. If, for whatever reason, Samsung ticks carriers, they could easily be replaced with one of many Android-powered devices.(Let's not forget that HTC had that market not long ago with their EVO, Incredible and Magic phones, and before that Motorola was dominant with their Droid.) While you simply can't replace the iPhone with any other brand. This is a fact. The only company benefiting from Android long-term, is Google. And even they need to improve their monetization strategy.

For now, I have positions on both Apple and Samsung, but I'm slowly trimming my Samsung's shares and adding AAPL.

DECEMBER 11, 2012 12:41 P.M.

Brent wrote:

Love the information found here, both in the article and from commenters. It is much more well thought out and useful information, versus CNET articles that elicit comments from consumers arguing over why Android is better than Apple, and vice versa. David made some EXCELLENT points about the iPhone and why it is a stable brand. I also think that Apple has a more loyal customer base -- many people buy Apple because of their previous experience with other Apple products. I think Android has a large following for other reasons, such as more affordable handsets as well as more recommendations from retail employees, but not nearly as many people wanting their devices due to brand recognition and familiarity. I'm very excited to see where the wireless telecom industry heads from here, because T-Mobile's plan -- if implemented successfully -- shows promise to increase competitiveness and change the way the industry works across all carriers. I really hope it catches on because this market definitely needs some change!

DECEMBER 11, 2012 1:56 P.M.

Damn Skippy wrote:

((At AT&T, the iPhone 5 “is often cited as the most popular among recent purchasers,” writes Power, while Nokia‘s (NOK) “Lumia 920” running Microsoft‘s (MSFT) Windows Phone software was in fourth place in terms of customer popularity, behind the S III and Note II.))

What kind of news is this? (often cited ) the keywords of a fanboy .. worded to make people think its fact..

DECEMBER 11, 2012 11:00 P.M.

Crocography wrote:

"R.W. Baird‘s William Power today offered to clients his usual weekly “checks” of retail smartphone outlets in the U.S." -- what does this mean? It really offers little scientific proof, please stop writing these type of puff pieces. This rumour quality pseudo journalism at its worst. Barron's should be better than this!

DECEMBER 12, 2012 6:40 A.M.

Anonymous wrote:

I was going to buy a Samsung Galaxy SIII. Then I realized something. I have a brain.

About Tech Trader Daily

Tech Trader Daily is a blog on technology investing written by Barron’s veteran Tiernan Ray. The blog provides news, analysis and original reporting on events important to investors in software, hardware, the Internet, telecommunications and related fields. Comments and tips can be sent to: techtraderdaily@barrons.com.